Crossover Curse
by Dragonstar13
Summary: This is a cross over between the series Ranma 1/2 and Fruits basket. This is done by me and Jade Daniels. I managed to talk her into working with me on this. So its a mixture of both our styles. Please enjoy^^.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I own neither Fruits Basket or Ranma ½. I'm just using the characters from these stories to come up with a little crazy thing of my own. 

Author's Notes: Hi! Hope you like this story. We both love both shows and thought that they had enough similarities to make this work out. But please understand that this is a bit hard for two minds to do. So we'll try our best to make this fic as fun as the two shows. ^_^   
  


The Crossover Of The Curses 

By: Jade Daniels and Dragonstar13 

"I'll get you Saotome!!" 

This was a phrase heard on a regular basis around the Tendo house. Unfortunately for Soun Tendo, this was another typical day in his household. He watched in dismay as first Ranma Saotome rushed passed him, soon followed by Ryoga Hibiki. These two were followed by Tatewaki Kuno, who was swinging his kendo stick at whatever was in his way. 

"Damn you! Come back here!" yelled Ryoga, brandishing his umbrella in his right hand. With his left, he shot out a set of razor sharp bandannas. 

"Ranma!" cried Tendo, water streaming from his eyes. He looked over at his friend Genma Saotome, who was currently in his panda form. "Saotome, can't you do anything?" 

The panda pulled out a sign from behind his back. 'That son of mine, he never listens.' 

"Saotome!" Kuno yelled, his kendo stick meeting with one of the paper walls. "You shall pay for your words against Akane Tendo!" 

"My house!" Tendo cried watching as the paper wall came down. 

"Hey! People, people! Some of us are trying to do some work here!" Nabiki called out, poking her head out of her room. She watched as the three guys leaped outside. 

"Oh my." Kasumi looked at her little sister as they went to watch the fight outside. "Ranma and the others are making a big mess. What should we do Akane?" 

"I'll tell you what I'm going to do! I'm going to kill Ranma for starting this whole mess!" Akane pulled out a mallet from behind her back and chased after the boys. 

"You no hurt Ranma!" a voice scolded her, stopping Akane in her tracks. She turned around to see Shampoo and Ukyou standing at the gate. 

"If anyone is going to catch Ranma honey its going to be me." Ukyou said proudly, holding out her giant spatula. 

"No!" Shampoo shoved Ukyou aside. "Shampoo have Ranma first!" 

"Ohohohoho." a cackling voice laughed. A flurry of black rose petals appeared. Everyone looked up to see Kodaichi Kuno flying through the air, her gymnastic ribbon trailing along behind her. "Ranma darling! So nice of you to get him for me brother!" 

"Not a chance!" Ukyou and Shampoo both jumped up in the air and catching up to the guys. 

"Wait my love!" A Chinese boy with glasses called out. Mousse jumped after his love. 

"Good grief," Nabiki said with an annoyed look. "Is there anyone else who's going to drop by?" 

Her words were lost as the crowd flew past her. As the increasing horde closed in on Ranma, he leapt onto the top of the house. He looked down at each of them, ready to laugh. He smirked at the thought of taking on everyone. It would be a challenge that he would enjoy. I can take them all on at once, blindfolded. "You're going to have to do better than that!" he shouted at them. 

They all glared at him, and as one, they all jumped into the air. Ryoga fired an energy blast down on Ranma. Kuno followed that up with an air rip from his kendo stick. Shampoo threw her weapons at him, while Ukyou did the same. Everything up Mousse's sleeves came down on Ranma, and Kodaichi tossed her ribbons and black roses. Ranma was about ready to leap away, when he saw Akane pull herself up onto the roof. 

"Akane, look out!" he shouted. 

"Ranma?" Akane gave him a confused look. As she looked up, she saw the rain of weapons coming down upon them. 

Quicker than anyone would have thought possible, Ranma leaped over to Akane, picked her up and carried her off into the air. The weapons crashed into the Tendo house, starting a chain reaction, from the roof all the way to the ground. Everyone watched in dismay as the house collapsed to the ground. Suddenly, Akane screamed. Ranma tore his view away from the destroyed house, only to find that a pond filled with cold water awaited him on the ground. 

"Oh crap!" he shouted, as he and Akane landed with a huge splash into the water. 

As the red-headed Ranma-chan poked her head out, Tendo began shouting at her. "Ranma! Now what are we going to do? We don't have a home now!" 

"Well if it wasn't for those idiots firing their weapons at me, this never would have happened!" Ranma-chan shouted, trying to defend herself. 

"You're the one who started this whole mess!" Akane retorted as she and Ranma-chan stepped out of the pond. 

The argument would probably have gone on longer, if Kuno hadn't suddenly popped up between the two girls. "Excuse me, but I couldn't help but overhear that my beloveds are now without a home." He embraced the both of them. 

"Go away Kuno." Ranma-chan frowned, trying to disengage herself from Kuno's embrace. 

Kuno squeezed them harder, his eyes closed in a dream-like state. "Akane, Pig tailed girl, I'll be kind enough to allow you to stay at my summer home in Kyoto until your house is fixed." 

Before either Akane or Ranma-chan could say anything, Nabiki said, "Really? We get to go to Kyoto?" 

"Oh my. I would love to go to Kyoto." Kasumi smiled, clasping her hands together. 

"Well I'll be. Kyoto, sounds great." Tendo grinned, no longer producing the death glare on Ranma-chan. 

The panda that was Genma held up a sign: 'A good place for a vacation.' 

"Shampoo go with Ranma too then!" Shampoo said with a cheerful voice. 

"If Shampoo is going. I'm going too." Mousse announced, although he was talking to a tree. 

"If Ranma honey is going, then I'm going too." Ukyou said pointing to herself. 

"My score with Ranma isn't finished yet. So I'm coming along." Ryoga said glaring at Ranma-chan. 

"You sure you won't get lost?" Ranma-chan asked dryly, earning herself another glare from Ryoga. 

"Well if son-in-law and Shampoo are going, then I might as well. Well you be going as well Happosai?" Cologne asked the person next to her. Sometime during the battle the two shriveled dwarfs had made an appearance. 

"Of course." Happosai said with folded arms and nodding his head. "If my favorite dearies are going then I should go too. Besides I'm getting tired of the same underwear here. Maybe Kyoto will have something better." the old man grinned lecherously. 

"I didn't invite any of you." Kuno frowned. But it was too late, nobody heard him as they all began making plans for the trip to Kyoto. 

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ 

"A martial arts tournament? You expect me to enter this baka neko?" Yuki Souma looked at the poster in front of him with cool disinterest. 

His cousin, Kyou Souma, smirked at him. "What? You too afraid?" 

"Hmph, I just don't want to waste my time in a fight with you." Yuki rested his head on his hand. There was a bored look on his face. "You're not much of a challenge so there's no point." 

"What! You damned mouse!!" Kyou shouted and raised his clenching fist. 

"Ohhh! A martial arts tournament!" Their cousin, Shigure Souma popped up from behind Kyou and snatched up the advertisement, "My, it looks like fun. Are you going Kyou-san?" 

"Yeah, of course I am. But this coward isn't." Kyou snorted, jerking his thumb at Yuki. The grey haired looked away from the hot-headed man, unwilling to continue the conversation. 

The door opened, catching everyone's attention. A young brunette walked in, a blank expression on her face. She didn't seem to notice any of them as she walked past. 

"Welcome home Honda-san," Yuki said, straightening up. 

Tohru Honda blinked as she looked at him. "Oh, good evening Yuki-san." She looked at everyone. "I'm sorry that I'm late. I'm sure that you all must be very hungry. I'll go make dinner now." With that, she walked into the kitchen, closing the door behind her. 

The three men looked at each other, all having noticed how tired the girl had looked. Yuki knew that Tohru had been working overtime lately. School was going to start again soon and Tohru would need the money for the tuition. It made him feel guilty that she was working not only at her job, but also doing her chores at the house. 

"Poor Honda-san," Yuki said with a frown, "She works so hard, trying to balance school, a job and the housework. There should be something we could do to help her." 

"How about signing up for the tournament then?" Shigure asked with a grin. "If you win the prize money, then you could help with the tuition." 

Yuki considered the idea. He had been thinking that maybe he could have helped with the housework, but he knew that he wasn't good at that kind of thing anyway. He was better at martial arts and it would be a better way for him to help her out. He looked at Shigure and nodded, showing his consent. "I'll sign up." 

Everyone ignored the way one corner of the house was suddenly lit up by an excited black aura. Kyou stood there, trembling in happiness at the thought of being able to defeat Yuki in a competition. A public competition..... 

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ 

"Man, this is the life!" Ranma stretched out his arms as leaned back against the frame of a paper door. He, and the others were all relaxing in the home that Kuno had provided. It was an older style Japanese house, with large, expansive grounds that had even impressed Nabiki. Ranma spotted Akane training outside. She never relaxes. Stupid tomboy. 

Suddenly, the door slid open and Shampoo popped her head outside. As soon as she spotted Ranma, she ran up to him. "Nihao!" The purple-haired girl waved something in her hand excitedly. "Ranma! Ranma! Look! Marital arts tournament this week, you go?" 

Ranma took a look at the poster with curious eyes. The martial arts tournament was for all people, no matter the age or gender. Any type style was welcomed. There was even a sizable cash prize. Ranma smiled. "Heh, why not? I could use the exercise. Besides, it's gonna be easy money." 

Having heard this, Ryoga ran in front of Ranma. "You are not going to get away with your insults that easily Ranma! I, Ryoga Hibiki will see that I defeat you in the tournament." 

Ranma smirked at the thought of Ryoga beating him. The pig-boy had tried to do so on a daily basis, and still hadn't been able to accomplish that! What made Ryoga think that fighting at a tournament would be any different? "I look forward to it." 

Suddenly, another voice spoke up. "I, Tatewaki Kuno will enter the tournament as well, to defeat Ranma Saotome!" 

Ranma sighed, wondering if anyone else was going to join up. "Whatever Kuno." He could defeat the "Blue Thunder" with one hand tied behind his back! 

Mousse had begun thinking about the tournament as well. If I defeat Ranma, Shampoo will love me!! He jumped up to his feet. "I will defeat you Ranma, and claim Shampoo for myself!" 

"Hmph. Shampoo only interested in Ranma." Shampoo snorted. 

Before Ranma, or anyone else could say anything more, Akane spoke up. Her blue aura flaring, she threw her bandana onto the ground. She shook her head as she looked at Ranma, "Dolt." Without another glance, she marched towards the door. 

"Hey Akane! Where do you think you're going?" Ranma asked, watching as she marched past him. 

"Out! And don't you dare follow me!" Akane yelled. 

"Feh. Like I follow a macho girl like you." Ranma replied, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. 

Her aura now at peak level, Akane picked up one of the dumbbells that had been on the floor. Ranma didn't have time to react as it flew at his face. Satisfied, Akane stormed off to her room. While Ranma was twitching on the floor, Ryoga glared at him for making Akane angry, again. 

But it was Genma who had the final word. "Ranma, you have much to learn about women." 

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ 

"I can't believe him! What a jerk!" Akane kept muttering to herself as she walked through town. She was trying to clear her mind of the stress that was Ranma. All that jerk ever cared about was martial arts. He never considered her feelings.... And then there was Shampoo, hanging all over him like that. Akane shook her head, letting out a long sigh. I shouldn't let that idiot get to me! Why should I care what he does? 

Akane was so distracted that she bumped into someone. Her mood tainted by Ranma, she yelled, "Hey, watch where you're going why don't ya!!" 

"Oh, I'm sorry!" exclaimed a trembling voice. Akane's rage-filled vision cleared so that she saw exactly who she had bumped into. To her surprise, it was a girl around her age. She was a pretty brunette, with large eyes and a mouth that looked like it smiled a lot. The girl blushed under Akane's scrutiny and bent down to pick up the items she had dropped. "I'm really sorry!" the girl said, while continuing to pick up her things. She looked up at Akane. "Are you alright?" 

Now it was Akane's turn to blush. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm sorry I yelled at you." She bent down and began to pick up some of the things. "Here, let me help you." Akane saw that most of what had been dropped looked like groceries, "Oh, you just finished shopping?" 

The girl nodded. "Yes. I'm preparing lunch for some friends." She looked at Akane closely. "Do, you live around here? I've never seen you in school before." 

"Oh, actually, I'm staying at a friend's house right now," Akane replied. Well, Kuno is a friend to lend his house to us.... "My family's house got wrecked and so we're staying in Kyoto for a little while, until the repairs are done." She handed the girl her things, "I'm Akane Tendo by the way." 

"My name is Tohru Honda," the girl answered with a smile. "Pleased to meet you!" Suddenly, one of the bags tipped, threatening to spill its contents once again. Akane hurriedly helped Tohru to balance them. 

"How about I carry one of these for you?" Akane asked, already taking one of the bags from Tohru. "You seem to have a lot of stuff." 

"Really? No, but you shouldn't...." Tohru protested, her cheeks becoming red. 

Akane giggled, "It's okay, really. Besides, I can't leave a friend in trouble." 

Tohru smiled and the two young women started to walk together. It was a beautiful day to be outdoors, especially with the sun shining down from the perfectly blue sky. It scattered through the trees as the girls walked through the forest towards the Souma house. The two girls chatted as they walked. Akane found herself telling Tohru many things about herself. 

"So, you're from Narima?" Tohru asked. 

"Yeah," Akane laughed. "I grew up there with my family. It's been a while since we left our home." 

"Um, so what did happen to your house?" Tohru asked. At the question, Akane turned to stone. Tohru panicked. "Ah! I'm sorry! I shouldn't have asked that....." 

Akane shook her head, "No, it's okay..." She took a deep breath. "It was all the fault of a stupid jerk!" As she thought about that jerk, Akane became angrier. "He is so inconsiderate! That Ranma, the stupid fool! He breaks everything, brings strange people into the house. They're always demanding fights, or trying to marry him.... Honestly!!" 

"Oh, I see," Tohru chuckled nervously, "I'm sorry I asked." 

"Oh! I'm sorry." Akane blushed. 

"It's alright," Tohru smiled, "I understand. My life is full of interesting things too." 

Akane looked at the girl strangely. If only she knew just how 'interesting' my life can be! "Yeah, I guess. We should hurry, if your friends are expecting you soon." 

"Yes," Tohru replied, and they both continued on to the Souma house. 

Up in the treetops nearby, a little old man was watching the two young women. "Oh, my favorite deary has a lovely new friend!" Happosai chuckled to himself. "And since Ranma isn't around...." The amazingly spry martial arts master leaped into a tree that was directly above the girls' path. Grinning, he jumped down from the branch, yelling, "Pretty lady!!" 

"AHHHH!!" both the girls screamed. Instinctively, Akane kicked the old man, sending him flying into a conveniently nearby tree. 

"Wh..what was that?" Tohru asked in a trembling voice. 

Akane couldn't answer as she saw that Happosai was already recovering from her blow. "That creepy old man! He wouldn't!" Akane dropped her bag when Happosai started to gather his energy. 

"Haha. What do you have there deary? How about a souvenir?" Haipposai laughed, looking from Akane to Tohru. Frightened, Tohru began to back away from the old man. Still laughing, Happosai charged at her, directly aiming at her chest. Tohru screamed at the top of her lungs. 

"Oh no you don't!" Akane yelled, ready to interpose herself between Tohru and the old pervert. Happosai launched himself into the air. Akane swung her foot high into the air, sending Happosai into orbit. As she watched the old pervert become a speck in the sky, a boy with orange air came out of nowhere in front of her. Before she knew what was happening, his fist came straight at her. Akane quickly jumped out of the way, easily dodging his punch. 

"What did you do to Tohru?" he demanded coldly. 

Akane blinked in confusion. "Hey buddy, I didn't do anything!" 

"Shut up, I bet you're one of those girls who pick on Tohru!" the boy shouted, obviously not listening to her. 

"No, wait!! Kyou!!" Tohru cried out, running towards them. 

Kyou leapt towards Akane. He was about to hit her, when a boy dressed in funny clothing jumped in between them. With a roar, he kicked Kyou in the side. "Get away from Akane you jerk!" 

"Ryoga!" Akane cried out. 

Kyou felt his cheek where the kick had landed. He smirked at the strange looking boy. "Heh, if you want a fight, then I'll gladly fight with you!" 

"Bring it on. Breaking point!!" Ryoga cried out. His fingers touched the ground, cracking it wide open. The large crack made its way towards Tohru. As it came closer, Tohru screamed, too scared to move. But before she could fall in, she was pulled away by someone. She looked up to see a grey-haired boy. 

"Yuki-san!" Tohru blushed. "Thank you!" 

"Are you alright Honda-san?" he asked, letting go of her wrist. She nodded, bobbing her head up and down. He turned towards the fight. "Let me take care of this Honda-san." Yuki ran towards the fight, immediately throwing punches at Ryoga. 

Kyou glared at Yuki. "Get lost! This is my fight!" 

"Heh. Two against one. I'll protect Akane no matter what!!" Ryoga cried out, dashing towards the two Soumas. As the weird-looking boy charged at them, Kyou and Yuki leaped at him. Kyou missed Ryoga., but Yuki and Ryoga both managed to land blows on each other. They both landed on the ground, but Ryoga was quickly on his feet again. He gathered up his energy and shot out an energy blast at Kyou and Yuki. They dodge the blast, but the beam continued on, aiming straight at Akane! 

"Akane!!" Ryoga yelled. 

Akane screamed as she saw the bright blast coming towards her. But before it hit her, she felt someone pick her up, carrying her away from danger. She opened her eyes to see that Ranma had saved her. "Ranma!" 

The pig-tailed boy glared at Ryoga. "You idiot! You could have hit Akane!!' 

"Be quiet Ranma!" Ryoga shouted back. 

Kyou came back and threw his right fist at Ryoga. Then his left, and finally did a roundhouse kick. Ryoga took the first hit, and dodged the second one. But, Kyou managed to land the last kick. Just as he did though, Ryoga grabbed his leg and threw him against a tree. 

"That idiot," growled Ranma, "I'm going in too." He put down Akane, and ran to the fight. 

"Ranma, wait!" Akane cried out. 

Ignoring Akane, Ranma jumped into the air and started to fight with Yuki. Ranma tried jump kicking Yuki, but the grey haired boy easily dodged it. Ranma continued throwing punches at him, but Yuki kept dodging every move. "Heh, not bad," Ranma said. Suddenly, he jumped behind Yuki, delivering a solid back kick to the face. 

"You're not bad either," Yuki acknowledged, wiping the blood from his face. 

The four boys kept fighting, unaware of the fact that their fight had taken them precariously close to the river near the Souma house. Suddenly, all four of them leaped high into the air, soaring pass the tree tops. Both Ranma and Ryoga screamed in dismay when they saw where they were about to land. With a huge splash, the four boys landed in the river. Immediately, Ranma and Ryoga changed into their other forms. Unfortunately for Yuki and Kyou, they happened to land on Ranma-chan's very female form. 

"Ranma! Ryoga!!" Akane cried. 

"Yuki-kun! Kyou-kun!" Tohru yelled out, as she saw an all too familiar cat and mouse swimming in the water. The mouse looked like it was having trouble treading the water. Tohru quickly went into the river, scooping Yuki, then Kyou up. Without looking back, she ran off towards the Souma house. "Ah! I'll get you two home soon!" she cried. 

Akane herself went into the river as Ranma-chan popped her head out of the water. "Ranma!" Akane cried happily, running towards the soaking girl with relief in her eyes. But when she didn't see anyone else, Akane wondered where Ryoga was. She was soon distracted though when she found her favorite black pig coming out of the river. 

"P-chan!" she said excitedly. Akane picked the pig up into her arms and hugged it. "Oh P-chan! You came to visit me, didn't you?" She continued to coo to the blushing pig. 

"Hey! I'm okay too you know," Ranma-chan pointed out with a frown. 

Ignoring the comment, Akane pointed to the grocery bags that had been left on the ground. "Hey Ranma, look! Tohru must have forgotten her stuff. We better return to them to her." 

"What? Did you forget what that girl and her friends tried to do to you?" demanded Ranma-chan. 

"It's alright," Akane waved her off, "It was a misunderstanding. You guys just brought the whole thing out of proportion! Tohru lives in the house up ahead." She bent down to pick up a few of the bags. "Could you help me with these Ranma?" Akane asked, looking back at the other girl. 

Ranma-chan sighed. "Alright, alright." 

Akane smiled, "Thanks Ranma." 

With that, the two girls left with their burden towards the Sohma house, not knowing what was in store for them. 


	2. chapter2

Chapter - 2   
  


Shigure Souma blinked in surprise as he stared at the grey mouse and orange cat. They were inside the Souma house recovering from their transformation, while Tohru was getting clothing ready for the changed duo upstairs.   
  


"How did you two transform?" he asked.   
  


"I'm not sure," Yuki replied with a small sigh, "We were fighting these strange guys, and then we landed in the water and transformed."   
  


"But how did that happen?" Shigure pondered, "They were guys, weren't they?"   
  


"Of course they were guys!" shouted Kyou. The cat glared at Shigure, "But we transformed anyway!"   
  


"You guys aren't sick are you?" Shigure asked.   
  


"No!" they both replied in unison.   
  


"This is odd." Shigure placed a hand on his chin and began to think.   
  


Tohru came downstairs with the boys' clothing. Suddenly, a voice calling her name caught her attention. Tohru looked outside and saw Akane with her shopping bags. Beside Akane was a scowl faced red haired girl.   
  


"Ah! My groceries!" Tohru exclaimed.   
  


Akane smiled brightly and held the bags in front of her. "You forgot these!"   
  


Tohru blushed and bowed her head. "Thank you very much. You're very kind!" Tohru looked at Akane's feet, her eyes widening. "Oh! What's this?"   
  


"Oh, that's my pet pig P-chan," Akane smiled, holding out the pig. "I found him outside of my house one day. Isn't he the cutest?"   
  


"Yes, he is!" Tohru giggled. Ranma-chan frowned at the blushing pig.   
  


"Stupid pig," she muttered. This brought Tohru's attention to the mysterious red-headed pig tailed girl.   
  


"Oh, Akane-san, is this a friend of yours?" Tohru asked.   
  


Akane then remembered the person standing right beside her. "Oh, this is...."   
  


"Ranma! Ranma Saotome!" Ranma-chan said proudly.   
  


Tohru looked at both Akane and Ranma-chan. "Ranma? Isn't that the name of that boy who was in the fight?"   
  


"Um, yeah!" Akane blushed as Ranma-chan looked uncomfortable. "Small world huh? They both have the same name. Isn't that strange?"   
  


"Tohru! Do you have the...." Shigure's voice called out as he walked up beside Tohru. He smiled brightly as he saw who Shigure was talking to. "Oh! What lovely friends you brought home!!"   
  


"Oh, Shigure-san, this is Akane-san and Ranma-san. They helped to bring the groceries home. I forgot them by the river.... Akane-san, Ranma-san, this is Shigure-san, the owner of the house."   
  


Akane and Ramna both bowed. "Nice to meet you."   
  


Tohru looked at Akane. "Uh Akane-san, where are those two other guys you were with?"   
  


Akane took a deep gulp and turned to the girl next to him. "Uh well, I don't know. I guess they left after the fight. Are your friends alright Tohru?"   
  


Tohru turned white from the question. "Uh, yes!! Uh, they're fine you see. I took them home after the fight." Tohru bowed her head in shame at the thought of the two younger Soumas attacking her friend.   
  


"Oh, well, I'm glad they're okay," Akane said, a blush creeping across her face. "I was kind of surprised when that guy came at me."   
  


"Oh!! I'm so sorry about that!" Tohru's head bobbed up and down as she continued to bow to Akane. "Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!"   
  


Akane looked nervously at the bowing girl. "Oh hey! It's okay, really."   
  


Shigure decided that it was time to interrupt before certain secrets leaked out. "Oh hey, would Akane-chan and Ranma-chan like to join us for lunch?" The writer smiled, while behind a closed screen door, a cat and mouse sweat dropped at their older cousin's words.   
  


"Is he trying to get us caught?" growled Kyou under his breath.   
  


"Shut up baka neko, they might hear ust!" hissed Yuki.   
  


Back inside the main room, Akane was trying to decline Shigure's invitation. "Oh no! We don't want you to go through all that trouble just for us!"   
  


"If it's not Akane's cooking, I'll eat it," Ranma snorted.   
  


Akane's eyes narrowed as she glared at the red pig-tailed girl. "Well, excuse ME!!" Without warning, Akane slammed her fist into Ranma's face. Large sweatdrops formed behind Tohru and Shigure.   
  


Tohru giggled nervously. "You're funny." Akane and Ranma both stopped glaring at each other and stared mindlessly at Tohru, wondering just how she had found them funny. She blinked at them. "Thank you for everything. My mother always said that good deeds should be rewarded! The least I can do for you is make lunch for you! So please stay, Akane, Ranma."   
  


Akane glanced at Ranma, who shrugged. "Uh, alright. Thank you Tohru." Akane smiled, and looked down at the black pig in her arms. "P-chan, are you hungry too?" She held her pet closer to her chest. Ranma-chan's face started to tense at the sight of Ryoga having his head in Akane's chest.   
  


"Um, what kind of food do you like Ranma-san?" asked Tohru, distracting Ranma.   
  


"Huh?" Ranma looked at Tohru. "Uh, anything is fine," she replied, rubbing the back of her head.   
  


"I'll be in the kitchen then. Please make yourselves at home." Tohru smiled and then stepped into the kitchen.   
  


Both Kyou and Yuki couldn't believe either of them. Kyou cursed loudly, "Damn it! Now they're going to stay and find us out!!"   
  


"Hey Akane, did you hear something?" Ranma-chan suddenly asked, looking around. Yuki and Kyou froze in a cold sweat.   
  


"Huh?" Akane looked at P-Chan, who was wiggling and pointing in a certain direction. "Uh well P-chan seems to have heard something coming from over there." Akane pointed to where a certain cat and mouse were hiding.   
  


Ranma-chan nodded. "Yeah, I think you're right." She sneaked closer to the door. "Hey, is someone there? Come out!" Before anyone could stop her, Ranma-chan pulled the sliding door to reveal an orange cat and a grey mouse, both looking like a deer caught in headlights. Ranma herself turned a deathly pale colour, stuttering as she turned away from the two animals. "C-C-C-C-CAAAATTTT!!!" She screamed and began running away.   
  


"Ranma!!" Akane shouted, not knowing what was going on. "What is it??"   
  


Tohru suddenly came out of the kitchen, holding a tray full of hot tea. Without warning, Ranma ran into her. Tohru was knocked to the ground, the tea tray flying into the air. As Ranma landed on top of Tohru, the hot tea splashed all over her, immediately transforming her back into his male self.   
  


"Ranma!" Akane exclaimed, witnessing the change. Immediately, Akane grabbed a nearby vase and dumped the entire contents, cold water and flowers onto male Ranma, changing him back into his female form.   
  


Suddenly, there was a 'pouf' sound coming from down the hall. Tohru's eyes widened as she realized what that sound meant. She scrambled to get out from under Ranma as she saw two naked men standing behind Akane. Tohru fought down a scream and pushed Ranma off of her. From behind Akane, Shigure came up and suddenly closed the door. He laughed nervously as everyone looked at him.   
  


"Well, it seems that my laundry is done! I'll go attend it now!" Without another word, he walked away.   
  


Tohru sighed with relief. Then, she looked at the now unconscious pig-tailed girl that was on the floor. "Ah!" she exclaimed, "I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY!" She kept repeating the words until Akane finally stopped her.   
  


"Tohru-san, don't worry about it!" Akane said, putting P-Chan down next to her. She dragged the red head onto the pillows that were nearby the low table. "H..She'll be fine." She turned back to Tohru, who had bent down to clean up the tea set. "Here, let me help clean up. It seems like I'm doing that a lot for you today."   
  


"Oh, I'm sorry," Tohru repeated again shyly.   
  


Akane laughed, a little nervously. "It's okay. This kind of stuff happens when Ranma is around."   
  


"Oh really?" commented Tohru, "It must be interesting having her around then."   
  


For a moment, Akane stared at Tohru. "Yeah, I guess you could say that."   
  


~ * ~ * ~   
  


Meanwhile, Yuki and Kyou were in the laundry room, getting their clothes on. Shigure walked in, wiping the back of his hand on his forehead. He breathed a loud sigh of relief. "It's a good thing those two didn't see you!" He looked at his two younger cousins and smiled brightly, as if nothing had happened.   
  


Kyou and Yuki glared at him. "What were you thinking, inviting those two over?!?" demanded Kyou, his hackles rising visibly. Yuki looked at Shigure expectantly.   
  


Shigure smiled happily. "I thought we could use the company."   
  


"THAT'S YOUR EXCUSE?!?" Kyou yelled in disbelief.   
  


Yuki sighed, unwilling to have Kyou turn this situation into more of a problem than it already was. "We can't do anything about it now. Once they have lunch with us, they'll probably leave. Besides, we should apologize to that girl." He looked at the orange-haired boy. "Besides, we should apologize to that girl. It was your arrogance that caused this mess in the first place."   
  


Kyou growled, hating the fact that Yuku was right. "Yeah, alright," he muttered, "I'll go apologize to her."   
  


~ * ~ * ~ * ~   
  


Akane and Tohru picked up the tea set and placed it onto the table. Akane glanced at her watch, realizing that it was getting late. She thought about her family, especially her father. She knew that he would be eventually crying for her to come home soon. She looked at Tohru. "Hey Tohru, can I use your phone? My family will be worried if I don't let them know where I am."   
  


Tohru nodded. "Oh yes, of course!" She smiled and pointed to the direction of the phone.   
  


Akane picked up P-chan, who had been beside Ranma, and headed to the phone. Setting the pig beside her, Akane quickly punched in the number of the Kuno summer home and was relieved when she heard Kasumi pick up the other end. Unfortunately, she easily heard her father crying in the background.   
  


"Are you alright Akane?" asked Kasumi, "Father has been very worried about you."   
  


"Yeah, I can hear that," replied Akane. "Let him know that I'm alright and that I'm with Ranma at a friend's house." She quickly gave Kasumi the address. "Oh, and is there someone that will be able to pick us up? I don't know how long Ranma will be unconscious and I'm not about to drag him all the way back..." Akane was suddenly interrupted as Genma took the phone from Kasumi.   
  


"Akane, I will come to pick up my son," he grumbled over the line.   
  


"Okay Mr. Saotome," replied Akane, "We'll be here waiting." With that, she hung up the phone, and went back to join Tohru in the main room.   
  


By this time, Ranma had begun to wake up. Blinking, and still a bit groggy, she was confused to find a girl staring at her. "Huh? What do you want?" she asked eloquently.   
  


Tohru blused. "Oh, I'm sorry. I wanted to see if you were alright."   
  


Ranma quickly looked around, now remembering why she was in this state. "W....Where's that c...cat?"   
  


Tohru looked a bit confused, and a little nervous. "Oh! That cat! Uh, that cat isn't around all the time...." She noticed Ranma's very relieved sigh. "Uh, are you afraid of cats?"   
  


"Me?" Ranma really didn't want to answer that question. It was the one weakness she never wanted anyone to know about. "I... uh... um...."   
  


"She's terrified of cats," announced Akane as she walked back into the room, still carrying P-chan.   
  


"Akane!" protested Ranma.   
  


"Oh," Tohru smiled politely, "Do not worry Ranma-san. The cat will not be back for awhile." At least, Tohru hoped that he wouldn't be.   
  


Ranma folded her arms, and sat up, crossing her legs. She shook her head. "Ranma-san, Ranma san. Just call me Ranma, okay?"   
  


Tohru blinked. Then she nodded. "Uh yes, Ranma, then," she said with a blush.   
  


The sliding door to the kitchen opened again, this time revealing two young boys. Ranma immediately recognized them as the guys who attacked Akane. Immediately, she jumped to her feet, posing in a fighting stance.   
  


"You guys again!" she exclaimed.   
  


"What?" Kyou's eyes narrowed at he looked at Ranma's female form. "You look familiar. Have we met?" Kyou's orange eyes were alight with curiosity.   
  


"Ranma!!" Akane hissed.   
  


Ranma then looked at herself and remembered that she was a girl and that she had fought those guys as a guy, meaning that neither of these jerks would know who she was. But she still held her stance, just in case either of these guys decided to hurt Akane again. To a bit of his amusement, P-chan had joined in protecting Akane, growling at the two young men.   
  


Kyou turned away from Ranma, to look at Akane. "I'm sorry." His words were barely audible, but Akane managed to hear them.   
  


The others were as shocked as Akane to hear those words coming from Kyou. She looked at him carefully. "You're the one who attacked me?"   
  


"Yeah," Kyou admitted, "I thought you were one of those girls who picked on Tohru."   
  


"What?" This time everyone looked at Akane, shocked at her tone of voice. "You should be sorry. Honestly, attacking someone without knowing if they're guilty or not. You should know better."   
  


"How the hell was I suppose to know that!!" Kyou yelled with his cat ears popping up.   
  


Yuki punched him to the ground and laughed nervously. "He's really sorry." Yuki smiled. "Lets just forget about for now and enjoy our lunch."   
  


"Well, I guess what's done is done," Akane said with a sigh. "I'll forgive you."   
  


"Oh hey. The lunch is ready now, so how about we eat." Tohru said happily.   
  


~ * ~ * ~   
  


The lunch Tohru made was, as usual for her, delicious. Ranma had never tasted anything quite as good, except maybe for Kasumi's cooking. Or Shampoo's. Or even Ukyou..... As the meal proceeded, the red-head stuffed everything in sight into her mouth. Everyone else at the table, except for Akane, stared at the girl. Ranma just keps wolfing down the food, and repeatedly asked for seconds. It was all the Souma's could do to keep enough on their own plates. Suddenly, Ranma stopped, much to the surprise of the males and Tohru.   
  


"That was great Tohru! I'm full now. Thanks for lunch." Ranma patted her stomach., a large grin forming on her face.   
  


Tohru smiled. "Oh yes! I'm so happy that you liked it so much."   
  


"She took most of the food!" cried Shigure silently, while the other two Souma's just stared at Ranma.   
  


To pacify her friends, Tohru asked, "Would you like some dessert?"   
  


"Do you think she's still able to hold down any food?" muttered Kyou. Yuki just shook his head.   
  


"What do you have?" Ranma asked, obviously eager to try out more of Tohru's cooking.   
  


"Ranma!!" Akane hissed. Akane got up and bowed to Tohru. "We had a great time Tohru! Thanks for everything."   
  


Tohru looked at the couple with a surprised look on her face. "Oh, you're not staying?"   
  


Akane shook her head. "No, we should be going. We don't want to overstay our welcome. Besides, my father has probably cried a river just worrying about me by now."   
  


"Ah yes," Tohru replied. "Your father must be very kind to worry about you so much!"   
  


Ranma, who had been silent for most of the conversation, suddenly noticed a flyer on the cabinet nearby. Peering at it, she realized that it was the flyer for the martial arts tournament. Surprised, he said, "Hey, are you guys gonna to enter the tournament?"   
  


Yuki nodded. "Yes." He gave a sideways look at Kyou. "We're both entering."   
  


"I see." Ranma started to smile to herself. Yes! I can get a re-match from those two. I'll beat them for sure in the tournament.   
  


"Uh Tohru, can I get a cold drink before we go?" asked Akane, wiping her forehead. "It's really hot today."   
  


Tohru blinked at Akane. "Oh, yes, of course! I'll get some cold water. Is that okay?" Akane nodded. With that, Tohru rushed into the kitchen.   
  


"Oh hey!" Ranma exclaimed in her cute girly voice. "Can I have some ice cream mochis?"   
  


"I'll get them for you!" Shirgure said, before Akane could protest to Ranma's request. The dog-boy stood up, heading towards the kitchen to get the treats. Suddenly, Tohru came out with the cold water, bumping immediately into Shigure. With the usual 'pop', Shigure changed into a dog.   
  


Meanwhile, Genma had showed up, opening up the sliding door. "Hey Ranma! Akane! You in here?" he asked. While distracted, the glass of water Tohru had been carrying fell out of her hands. The glass sailed into the air, falling neatly onto Genma's head, transforming him into his panda form.   
  


"Mr. Saotome!" Akane cried out. She immediately took her still-hot water from the tea, and splashed it onto Genma. Unfortunately, she managed to splash P-chan as well, changing the little black pig into a bewildered, naked young man. Surprised, Ryoga cried out and began yelling and waving his arms.   
  


"Ryoga!" Ranma exclaimed. She immediately rammed both Ryoga and Genma outside. The two tripped into a wooden tub, one that was full of cold water.   
  


"Ramna, what are you doing?" Akane exclaimed, having followed Ranma outside. Without thinking, Ranma quickly threw the tub over Genma and Ryoga, hiding them underneath.   
  


Meanwhile, Tohru had pulled Shigure inside the kitchen. She could be heard through the door, apologizing at length to the black dog. Yuki checked to make sure the coast was clear, and went outside to check on the bizarre guests. Kyou followed behind him.   
  


"Ranma-chan. Are you alright?" Yuki asked quickly.   
  


"Oh yeah I'm fine." Ranma said, rubbing the back of her head.   
  


"What are you doing?" Kyou asked looking at her suspiciously.   
  


"Yeah, what are you doing?" Akane echoed.   
  


"Um, well, I thought I'd go out to sit in the sun!" Ranma laughed nervously. She looked around. "Uh, where's Shigure?"   
  


"He's in the kitchen with Tohru," Yuki answered. "You wanted the ice cream mochi, right?"   
  


Ranma waved her hand. "Uh no! That's okay. Me and Akane will go now. Right Akane?"   
  


"Don't order me around Ranma!" Akane frowned. "Besides, I still have to stay goodbye to Tohru."   
  


Yuki and Kyou immediately jumped in front of Akane, startling her. "Uh, no, that's okay!" Yuki said. "We'll give her your regards. We'll see you at the tournament, alright?" Kyou and Yuki scooted inside, shutting the door behind them.   
  


"Close call," Ranma sighed, not caring how strange and rude the two Soumas had acted. She looked at Akane. "What should we do with my old man?" Ranma tipped the tub to reveal the panda and the small black pig hidden underneath.   
  


Akane picked up P-chan. "Let's go for now." She shook her head, and glanced at the Souma house. "This has been one crazy day. We can probably get some hot water for you and him later."   
  


"Yeah, I'm getting tired of this place." Ranma and Akane left the Souma residence, and started to head for Kuno's summer home.   
  


~ * ~ * ~   
  


The sky was a cloudless blue on the day of the tournament. The weather was straight out of a fairytale, absolutely perfect. Golden sunlight shone brightly down into the stadium where the martial arts tournament was being held. The building itself had no roof, as it was used mostly for track and field, baseball and of course, the occasional martial arts tournament. The stadium was packed with a raving crowd, all watching as the final touches to the setup of the fighting areas were completed. Various competitors were on the sidelines warming up, eagerly awaiting for the tournament to start.   
  


Inside the locker room, Tohru, Hana and Udo were wishing luck to Yuki and Kyou. Shigure had stayed at home because he had thought it best if he didn't go to such a crowded place. The Soumas had decided that they would remain in the locker room until the last possible moment, so that there would be less of a chance for them to bump into a female. The tournament was divided by the sexes, so that wasn't a worry.   
  


"Do your best you two. I hope that you make it in the finals." Tohru smiled.   
  


"Heh, I bet that Kyou wouldn't even make it into the finals if he was facing Yuki." Udo joked.   
  


"Shut up you damn Yankee!!" Kyou yelled, his hackles raised. "I'll beat that damn mouse this time! It's what I've been training all my life to do!!"   
  


"Ahaha." Tohru laughed nervously, hoping to dispel yet another argument between her friends. "Well, we'll go now."   
  


"Good luck you two." Hana said quietly as the three girls left the locker room.   
  


As Tohru and her friends took their seats, she suddenly noticed Akane walking into the stadium. "Ah!" she exclaimed.   
  


Udo looked at Tohru. "What?" She turned her gaze to see what Tohru was looking at; a girl with short, dark blue hair was walking to the front row of the stadium.   
  


"She has a strong, yet gentle denta," Hana murmured, observing Akane sitting down with a small group of people.   
  


"Hey Tohru, do you know that girl?" Udo asked.   
  


"Yes!" Tohru replied happily, "She's a very nice person. She helped me with the shopping yesterday. She was very kind to me."   
  


Udo glanced at Hana, who nodded. The blonde shrugged. "She sounds alright to me. Why don't we join her?" She got up from her seat.   
  


"Oh no!" Tohru exclaimed, grabbing Udo's arm. "It's alright! She... she probably doesn't remember me!"   
  


Udo sighed. "Oh come on Tohru." She started to walk down the stairs to the front row.   
  


Hana smiled at Tohru. "I would like to meet her as well." She got up and followed Udo.   
  


"Oh! Wait for me!" Tohru had no choice but to follow her two friends as they continued to make their way down to the front row. Sliding past a few other people, the three girls soon found themselves facing Akane.   
  


"Yo!" Udo greeted a startled Akane.   
  


"Huh?" Akane blinked, wondering who these people were. Then she saw a face peaking out behind the two taller girls. "Oh, Tohru!"   
  


Tohru smiled and waved. "Uh, hello Akane! I thought it might be fun to watch the tournament with you."   
  


"Oh, well you can join us if you want." Akane said cheerfully. She gestured to the empty seats beside her. "Take a seat."   
  


"Oh, so you're Tohru." Tendo smiled, looking at the three girls. "My what a fine young lady. So elegant."   
  


"Yeah, nothing like Akane." Nabiki teased from her seat beside Tendo.   
  


"Nabiki!!" Akane snapped back.   
  


"Oh you two." Kasumi giggled; she was sitting beside Nabiki. "You three are welcome to join us if you want to." Kasumi smiled. "Please sit down."   
  


"Oh, thank you." Tohru sat down beside Akane.   
  


"Hey Tohru aren't you going to introduce us?" Udo asked, sitting down beside Tohru.   
  


"Oh yes, this is Udo and Hana. They're my best friends." Tohru smiled at Akane.   
  


"Its nice to meet you." Akane said, bowing her head. "This is my father Soun Tendo, and my sisters, Nabiki and Kasumi."   
  


"Its nice to meet you." Tohru said, bowing her head as Akane had.   
  


"The pleasure is all ours." Tendo smiled.   
  


"Who are those three Akane?" Tohru asked, noticing three other girls sitting beside the Tendos. One had long brown hair, tied back with a white cloth. She wore loose fitting clothing, giving her a more masculine look, despite her feminine features. Beside her, was a girl dressed in a tight fitting black dress. Her black hair was tied back in a ponytail. Her overdone face held a sort of edginess that made Tohru nervous. The third girl had purple hair that was partially done up in two pigtails. She was wearing Chinese-style clothing and shaking her fists madly as she cheered loudly.   
  


Akane glanced past her family, looking at the three girls. She frowned, "Ukyou, Kodaichi, and Shampoo. Ranma's friends."   
  


"Ranma go and fight for Shampoo!!" Shampoo exclaimed.   
  


"No way, Ranma-honey is fighting for me," Ukyou declared, glaring at the purple haired girl.   
  


The two girls glared at each other, while Kodaichi twirled a black rose between her fingers. Akane looked at Tohru, a nervous smile on her face. "Ah, they're a little excited....."   
  


~ * ~ * ~ * ~   
  


Inside the locker room, on the other side from where Yuki and Kyou were, Ranma, Mousse, Kuno and Ryoga were finishing their warmups. A black aura circled each of them as they exchanged glares with each other. They each awaited anxiously for the first call, wondering who they would be facing.   
  


There's no way I'm going to lose this tournament! I'll get to pound those guys from yesterday! Ranma thought joyfully to the time when he would get his chance to battle the Soumas again.   
  


If I win this, Shampoo will respect me for certain! Mousse's thoughts were filled with flower covered dreams of Shampoo running into his arms.   
  


I, Tatewaki Kuno, will not lose this tournament, not when the beautious Akane Tendo will be in attendance, to watch me, in all my magnificence! It was obvious what was going through Kuno's head at the moment.   
  


I'll pound Ranma, then Akane will be mine! Ryoga had no other thoughts, other than facing his main enemy in the last round.   
  


The four men walked out of the locker room, almost running into two other competitors as the first bell rang out through the stadium. The announcer immediately began calling out the fights, and where they were located. All the contenders gathered to the center of the fighting area, watching as the fights were posted on a giant board. Yuki was up against Mousse. Kyou was to face off against Kuno. Ryoga got a guy named Jin. Ranma had to fight against someone by the name of Toma.   
  



End file.
